Pod Racer
by MikeRayburn2481
Summary: the Triumvirate governments of the Empire and Galactic Alliance have legalized pod racing after an 1,100 year hiatus. While the galaxy salivates over the return and the betters look to Malastare and the Outer Rim for its first champion, a girl on Corellia dreams of living up to her planet's reputation and reclaiming its lost glory.
1. Chapter 1

"to recap: while the Empress herself doesn't approve of the danger and violence inherent blah, blah, blah, her highness agrees with the GACOS that the adults of the empire must be trusted to make their own decisions concerning their wellbeing. With that announcement by Imperial Minister of Sport, Veran Ashen, just three weeks after the announcement by our own GA government, the first galaxy-wide pod racing series is within standard months of realization"

"of course, her most imperial imperialness is stressing that only adults can make the decision to risk their lives racing pods and has decreed that no Imperial citizen under the age of 25 standard years will be licensed".

"Doesn't matter Quan. She could decree 35 and we would still be on the brink of a paradigm shift in galactic entertainment. So long bolo-ball. Goodbye smashball. It won't be long enough stock speeder series. The first premier pod racing circuit since the Rusaan Accords eleven hundred years ago will be the most watched event since the Clone Wars docudrama."

"Of course you're right Darryn. Word is big money investors are already scouring all one and a half million systems in the Triumvirate looking for the best racers and the best constructors. When the Old Republic banned pod racing all those centuries ago our own hotshots of Corellia were the toast of the circuit. But with underground racing taking place in the Outer Rim and on Malastare, how are we going to compete with the Gran and Dusters when this thing kicks off?"

"We gotta find a natural Quan. The Solos may be gone but we're still Corellians! There has got to be a bloodstriper out there with the natural ability and courage to comp~"

"Geda! shut that off and help me out here".

"Coming dad!" Geda Quizan shut off the holo-projector and Coronet's most popular sports show winked out of existence as she walked out of the office and into the garage.

Her dad and uncle were both underneath the starboard turbine of the pod they had been building since the GA Sports Commissioner made the announcement to legalize the sport nearly a month ago. She ran her fingertips over the carriage and admired the black and red paint job she had applied yesterday.

"Geda! Hydrospanner!" her uncle called and she reached into the toolbox to grab one and walked it to the outstretched hand of her uncle.

Her dad appeared from under the engine on his hoversled. "G, you should get some more sim time in. We won't have long to get some vidage of you driving on the holonet before every new team is set."

Geda just gave him a rueful shake of the head. "Daddy, I see this track when I close my eyes. I'll never be readier than I am right now".

Her father gave a reluctant smile. "I know you're right. Alright then, how about take the diagnosticator and check the cable connections one more time?"

Her blast visor down, she flicked a switch and the twin turbines in front of her pod roared to life. She knew the cam droids were filming and she wanted to look as professional as possible, but the sensation that came from so much power in her hands never failed to bend the corners of her mouth upwards. She gave a quick two fingered salute to her dad and engaged the throttle. The pod leapt into a blur and fired down the track's straightaway. Her cheeks attempted to slide back behind her head as she approached the first turn into a forested valley. Approaching eight hundred kilometers an hour she barely pulled back on the left throttle, causing the left turbine to fall back and turning the pod to the right. As always, her timing was perfect down to the thousandth of second and her pod came within a foot of a large Lessu tree on her right. She reengaged both throttles and rocketed to her best three lap time ever.

She was nearly out of the pod before it came to a stop and jumping into her father and uncle's arms. Her bright white smile contrasted sharply with the soot and dust that covered all the unprotected parts of her face.

"Under four!" her dad exclaimed, picking her up above his head.

"You did it kiddo!" her uncle joined in and gave her a high five.

He put her down but still hugged her close to his side. "Let's go put this on the holonet. We'll be getting calls by tonight!"

Her face hurt from smiling but she didn't care. Within hours she would be a contracted racer with one of the new teams getting into the new Premier Pod Racing series".


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Any comms?" Geda asked as she peered around the corner into the kitchen. Her uncle gave an almost embarrassed shake of the head before putting the dish he was washing in the steamer.

Her mother's brother Cyrus was all she had left of her mom, and since her death he had moved back from Tralus to fill the void left by her passing. There was no epic tale for Leusinia Chalus's death. No war. No raiders. Just a stupid accident at the CC plant where both her parents worked. And while it didn't fill Geda with a need for revenge or a desire for justice. It always reminded her that life is fragile, and she wasn't going to waste hers doing something other than what she loved.

"So just three weeks until the opener on Canto Bight?"

"Yep."

"Where's dad?"

"Showing the vid to the higher ups at CC."

"They're not going to spend all those credits for a product they don't sell" she said with a rueful shake of the head.

"that's what I told him" he answered turning from the sink with a shrug.

"Uncle Cyrus?"

"hmm?" the middle aged man with slightly graying black hair responded as he joined her at the small kitchen table.

"Do you still know people in the sabacc rooms on Tralus?" she cringed as she asked. They rarely spoke of the ulterior motive for Uncle Cyrus's move back home. He had lost his wife and son to a divorce and a remarriage on her part after Cyrus had squandered their savings at the card tables.

"Not anyone that would take my comm?" he averted his eyes into his steaming cup of caf.

"then let's not comm them?" she reached out a hand for his free one.

A moment later he took hers and smiled. "What are we waiting for?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

They had left a note for dad and headed for Coronet Spaceport. Riding the long causeway out there across the Torsin Channel Geda looked up to see the bulky frames of soon to be G.A.N. cruisers under construction. Back in the days of Palpatine's Empire Corellia's penchant for rebellious individualism had been punished by turning the planet's small personal freighter industry into one of three main centers for all Star Destroyer construction in the galaxy. The planet had been thoroughly subjugated and the forced, underpaid work, quickly turned the beautiful city of Coronet into an industrial slum. They had cleaned it up a lot since those days but the infrastructure for major ship building was already in place, so the private conglomerate that took over the formerly imperialized plant just switched who they were building ships for. Today, three quarters of the Galactic Alliance Fleet was constructed in and above Coronet.

An hour after riding down the Torsin Causeway they were on a third class shuttle to one of Corellia's two inhabited moons. She kept looking to her uncle for conversation but a wink or a tight smile is all he would offer. He was nervous. She had caught snippets of the trouble Uncle Cyrus had gotten himself into while away, and now he was walking back into the nexu den…for her. For family.

The trip to Tralus's capital city, Navos, which doubled as the gambling capital of the quadrant, took only forty minutes. They touched down and made their way through the spaceport quickly as they did not have to pass through customs. Coming out into the early evening light of Corell was a bit of a shocker for Geda. After the war with the Hutts twenty-five thousand years ago, the humans of Coruscant and their handful of humanoid allies led by a mysterious group called then the Jed'aii Bendu, had spread out from the Core in a very methodical, organized manner. Worlds were terraformed to match the gravity of Coruscant and a simplified time keeping system was implemented. If multiple worlds in a system could be settled, settlements would be built where the planets rotation would keep them in the same day/night cycle as the rest of the settlements in system. However, on Tralus, the moon had only one continent, and that continent was in a location that would keep it a half day ahead of Coronet. Unwilling to build an ocean surface city, visitors to and from the planet had to resign themselves to a pretty awful case of time lag.

Where Coronet was a city rooted in industry, Navos was a city rooted in leisure. No factories, no cloudcutters, no construction. Just bright lights beckoning visitors to come in and spend their hard earned creds. Her uncle looked a man on edge. The bright lights and sounds of laughter and debauchery seemed to have the same effect on him loud noises had on veterans. In the midst of the glitz and glamour was an iconoclastic building made of stone. A human female and a twi'lek male stood near the steps outside, each intoning "may the Force of others be with you". Uncle Cyrus made a b-line for the building and put a couple credits in the can the twi'lek was holding before making his way up the steps and into the temple.

Geda knew her uncle had overcome his faults with drinking and gambling by devoting himself to religion, but she had never seen that need in action until tonight. While her uncle meditated Geda explored. Everything in the temple was meant to help induce a feeling of serenity. The thick stone walls kept the noise of Navos outside. A small trickling waterfall made its way down over stones on one side. A small wroshyr tree with a handful of birds rose up from the front of the back of the temple. Incense and candles burned from every meditation pad in the sanctuary. Statues of long dead Jedi kept a watchful eye on parishioners from their perch in the corners of the ceiling. The tour brought back memories from her childhood. Her mother had taken them to temple sometimes two or even three times a week when she was younger. Geda had been taught to place her faith in the Force in all things. But her death had changed all that for Geda and her father. A woman who had dedicated her life to the Force was repaid by a loose cable that dropped a turbolaser on her and one other worker. For Geda, life was too short to devote so much time to something so apathetic to life.

She waited the last ten minutes for her uncle outside. The memories of her mother stirring up too much resentment. Her uncle rejoined her with a far easier smile and they continued on.

A few minutes later they came to a trandoshan standing outside a lone doorway. There were no bright lights enticing visitors into this room. In fact, it looked like it was trying to keep people away.

"I am with the Force, and the Force is with me" Cyrus whispered under his breath.

"Hey Akss" he waved at the reptilian bouncer. He was still nervous, but far less than he had been when they landed. "Is Kaia in?"

The Trandoshan just whipped his head towards the door and hissed as they walked in. Inside the door was a horned gotal who frisked Cyrus. He started to frisk Geda but Cyrus grabbed his arm as his hand moved up her stomach toward her breast. "She clean Tush'nek" he hissed in what sounded like an impersonation of the doorman outside.

"Not until I confirm it she's not" the furred alien shrugged.

"It's confirmed" Cyrus answered, gripping the alien's forearm tighter.

Tush'nek placed his hand over Cyrus's and threw it off. "you get your stangin paws off m-"

"Uncle Cyrus" Geda said with a warning hand on his chest. "It's okay".

He looked at her, his jaw still clenched tightly. "It's okay" she mouthed again, putting as much calm into the words as she could. Finally he relented and turned away as the bodyguard finished his excuse to grope his niece.

A few seconds later she heard Tush'nek make a clicking sound, followed by "ok you're good".

They walked down a hall and into a large room lit by a collection of dim but multi-colored lights. There was a large felt table in the center and around it sat aliens of species Geda knew and a couple she didn't. At the center of the table sat a human woman of late middle age. She wore her hair short and its white color contrasted nicely with her olive complexion. She a white jewel stud in her nose that connected to one of her multi-pierced ears. Her body wrap was two shades of blue and rose into a high collar that came to a point at her jawline. All in all, she was attractive and exotic looking and in a moment she went from laughing lightly to drawing a hold out blaster and pointing it at her uncle.

"Cyrus Chalus…you better have my creds".


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"I got better than that" he said with hands splayed out in front of him.

One of those hands motioned to Geda. "This is my sister's daughter, Geda."

He took his other free hand and dipped it into a jacket pocket. He pulled out a datacube and held it up to Kaia until she nodded. "and _this_ is my sister's daughter" he said as he placed the cube into the table's holoportal.

The vid of Geda flying through the forested coastline outside Coronet rose above the table. At the end of the lap Kaia motioned with her blaster for Cyrus to sit and a weequay got up.

As Cyrus sat down Kaia laid her blaster on the table. "She's good, I'll give her that…especially for a human. But…" she turned to indicate a Nosaurian standing with a handful of others by the bar, "if I was going to sponsor a pod racing team it would be driven by Garc. He's smaller, quicker, and with better eyes".

"Ahh" Cyrus wagged a finger. "But does Garc have the Force?"

Kaia's previous smile vanished and she put a hand over the blaster on the table in front of her. Cyrus quickly understood her apprehension. "Nooo, I don't mean she's a Jedi...but she has the Force with her. It guides her."

Kaia scoffed. "So does Garc if I understand your people down the block".

"Only if he lives in harmony with it" he answered like that should be obvious to everyone.

Geda could see Kaia's expression hardening again. She had to save this. Her uncle was coming from the only place he knew anymore. But it wasn't a place Kaia Foda was willing to follow.

"Let me race him" she said popping a pine nut from the holder on the table in front of her.

She looked at the teen admiringly for a moment. "She's cool Cy. Didn't know you had that in your blood."

Then she turned her attention back to Geda. "Honey did you see any pods sitting outside on the street?"

Geda, still leaning back, popped another pine nut. "No. But I saw a couple swoops".

That elicited a bark of laughter from the weequay who had given up his seat to Cyrus.

"Only about six hundred kilometers difference between the two honey".

Geda ate the last nut and then wiped her hands together over the floor. "A racer is a racer. If a racer is real they'll make a swoop look like a pod and a pod look like the Millenium Falcon. Ask Garc. If he says any different we'll go".

Kaia looked back to the Nosaurian who was now keenly paying attention. The dimunitive horned mammal shrugged. "Kid's gotta point" he croaked.

Kaia looked back to Geda. "Force you remind me of myself kid…you're on."

She turned to Cyrus. "Come to the quarry tonight. We'll have the swoops".


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Geda felt the small rocks crush and twist beneath her booted feet as she turned right up the slight incline. This was a part of racing she always did by herself; the circuit walk. This was a small but mighty achievement for the locals here. Just under two klicks, the Quarry Run boasted nine turns and a downhill corkscrew that led to the finish line. As she walked down and around the corkscrew she felt only excitement. Most beings would be nervous at the thought of riding an unprotected bike three hundred klicks per hour around a rock quarry. Many would be nervous at the impending individual competition of themselves verse one other, without anyone else to shoulder the blame of failure like in Bolo or Smashball. And nearly everyone would be near regurgitation at the prospect of betting their future tonight. But that was why in a galaxy of hundreds of trillions, there were few racers.

She walked back down the lighted straight towards the start line. Garc was already on his swoop, laughing easily with his mechanic. The gathered crowd alerted him to Geda behind him and he glanced over his shoulder.

"Ready girl?" he asked as he fiddled with the helmet in his lap. There was no antagonizing tone in his voice. Unlike his entourage, she knew the Nosaurian respected her skill and courage, and counted her as a member of the brethren of beings who risked everything for speed and mastery over machine.

"I am" she replied coolly and walked up to her own swoop where her uncle was waiting.

"how's it look?" he asked as he handed her the helmet she had been wearing and designing since she was eight.

"Six lefts, three rights. Passing zones at two and eight" she answered as she accepted the red heavily stickered helmet.

"looks like a good bike. But remember you only got one lap to get the steering to your liking."

She nodded as she straddled the swoop. Next to her Garc's bike hummed to life and she hit the ignition button as her own bike vibrated to life between her legs. She looked to her left and the diminutive alien gave her a nod and jumped off the line. She followed lazily as both riders swerved down the track at slow speeds like a couple of old drunks trying to get home safely after a night at the cantina.

A minute later their warmup lap was done and they were back at the line. Kaia and her supplicants boarded a makeshift viewing tower made from an old quarry surveyor, while the rest of the gambling hall denizens clambered over the old abandoned worker barracks to get a better view.

In front of Geda a scantily clad blue skinned Twi'lek held a blue flag with three white horizontal stripes down by her bare thigh. Geda and Garc began revving their engines before the dancer ripped the flag above her head and began waving it frantically.

The two racers leapt from the line, flashing past either side of the starter. The disturbed air pushing up her short skirt to raucous applause from the crowd. Applause that continued as Geda took the lead on turn eight and never handed it back, eventually crossing the finish line three laps later a whopping twelve seconds ahead of her competitor.

And it was Garc who was the first to congratulate her as he pulled up alongside her. "Great ride. Kaia would be foolish not to back you. You got _it_ kid" the Nosaurian said before pulling away.

Her uncle was next in line as he ran up from the side of the track and gave her a crushing hug. "I never doubted for a second".

"your shaking says otherwise" she said sardonically before slapping his back enough to get him to break the hug.

He straightened quickly. "Here she comes".

Geda turned to see Kaia and two other lavishly dressed aliens she had not seen before the race.

"So?" Cyrus called as the trio walked onto the track.

"So" Kaia parroted back with her arms spread wide. "Let me introduce you to Toth T'rund and Din Fonti" she said, indicating the Devaronian and Gossam beside her. "Toth runs two of the three biggest casinos on Tralus, and Din Fonti is here on behalf of the Tralus Tourism Board."

"Nice to meet you all" Geda said, slightly unsure of herself for the first time since arriving.

Kaia clearly sensed her skepticism and decided to cut to the chase. "together we will be jointly sponsoring a team with you as our pilot."

Geda couldn't help but to start to squirm with excitement on the bike. But Uncle Cyrus put a hand on her shoulder. "what's the salary?"

Now it was the Devaronian who spoke up. "It will be all performance based of course".

"What do you mean of course?" Cyrus asked, more than a little indignant.

"You have to understand, forming a team this close to the start of the season with such an unproven commodity, you would not find a better offer" the long necked but short Gossam said matter-of-factly.

"I beg to di-" Cyrus started with a shake of his head.

"-I'm in" Geda announced, dismounting from her bike to block out her uncle more than anything.

All three gave relieved smiles and Kaia stuck out her hand. "I believe this is the start of a prosperous team, don't you?"

Geda took it enthusiastically, all pretense of cool self-assuredness lost in the excitement. "I do. I really do".


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The vibrations in the tunnel around her vibrated her chest hard enough to make her cough. Her father must have sensed her trepidation because he took her hand and gave it a good squeeze. She looked up at him and gave him a tight smile as thanks before checking her uncle's expression to her right. Eventually the brightness in the tunnel ahead enveloped the trio and they stepped out into the pit lane of quite possibly the most feared track in the galaxy; the Executioner of Oovo IV. Geda spun around on her heel as she marveled at the half million sentients that stomped and clapped in the viewing stands around her. It was Uncle Cyrus that stopped her gawking pirouette with an easy hand. "Act like you've been here before and you'll be here a hundred more times".

His words snapped her back into focus. He was right. She's not a fan anymore but could always be relegated to that status the moment she let the task become too big for her. She went to her pod and ran a hand along the gunnel. Sleek didn't begin to do the pod justice. Red and off-white it was designed to look like the bow of an old A-wing Interceptor. The words 'Visit Tralus' adorned one side, while small adverts for individual casinos dotted the rest of the carriage. She looked down the lane to see her competition; the only other females were a red skinned Rutia Twi'lek and a devaronian. The only other humans were from a little dustball called Tatooine, a planet Geda was familiar with as the home of the Boonta Eve. To everyone else it was the home of Skywalkers. The odds makers on Coruscant had none of the humans making a single podium. A fact that many non-humans were not too subtly delighting in. Even in the new Triumvirate the humans had too much power in the realm of politics and culture, and they were all too pleased to see them relegated to 2nd class status in anything. Those same odds makers had the Gran, Zheal Taal, as the three to one favorite to be wearing the championship medal in nine months' time.

"alright kid, remember the strategy?"

Geda nodded to her weequay race engineer, Bam Didar. "Then recite it to me".

She had already learned her lesson about lacking enthusiasm for the details and she snapped out their pre-race instructions like a student recalling a presentation on the Clone Wars. "hang back and out of the fray on lap one, Let them beat each other up. Stay close enough to keep their air tow, but far enough back to be able to react when the big one happens. Pass only at seventeen and twenty-nine. If it's not there, leave it".

Didar nodded approvingly despite her clear lack of approval for the last sentences. He must've clearly picked up on it anyway. "Listen kid. This track has ended more lives than any other track we'll race this year, other than maybe Dethros. Now there may no longer be ore cannons firing at you, but this track can still end you career before it even gets started. We will have plenty of tracks to _go for it_ this year. Our goal here is to finish with that pretty little pod…and your pretty little head intact. Clear?"

Geda did not miss that in order of importance, the pod came first to Bam. She didn't hold it against him. If anything it made her like him more, as she was just as myopic about racing. "clear" she answered.

"All right then" he took one hand away from his datapad and held it out. She clasped it. "Suit up and fire it up".


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The lights went out and Geda engaged thrusters. The pod leapt forward, only the harness system and light inertial dampeners keeping her neck from breaking. Geda hung back, in last place, and she was content to be there until they got through desolation alley. The racers approached the anti-grav tunnels; a series of four tunnels that forked out in different directions but converged back in the same place. As Bam had alluded to, back in the days of the underground circuit these tunnels would be full of floating balls of ore.

Without gravity it was deadly for two pods to enter the same tube at the same time, and on lap 1 everyone was close together…except for Geda. The Gran, Zheal Taal, entered the middle tube first with the Devaronian, Vohmak quickly peeling off to take the next tube to the right. The older Tatooinian, Jobe Calwell, taking the same tube right behind Vohmark. The Twi'lek, Bileema, took the tube to the left, and the younger Human, Jerek Darklighter, veered off and took tube 1 all the way to the left. Geda coolly aimed for tube 4 a second later.

When she entered the grav generator that kept her pod close to the ground was nullified and she began floating upwards towards the ceiling of the massive durasteel chamber. She gunned her overdrive to negate that natural drift, and a second later she was exiting back into the main track tunnel. As the track began to bend to the right heading towards Desolation Alley, she could just make out the purple and gold of Darklighter's pod's and light blue of Bileema's just behind the forest green and white of Taal's. the echoes of 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the crowd overpowering the whine of repulsors told her all she needed to know about what happened to Calwell and Vohmark. She reengaged thrusters and powered into the sharp turns of the Alley, more excited than ever at the thought of a podium finish in her first race.

Alas, the time she yielded on lap 1 could not be recovered easily but by the final lap she had closed to within a second of Darklighter. They both took tube 3 at the anti-grav tunnels, and she felt like she closed another couple tenths as she appeared to engage overdrive a split second before he did in the tunnels. The appearances were accurate and for the first time her starboard pod was level with the other human's purple and gold carriage. She wanted to force him wide in the tunnel so she could pass on the inside headed into the alley, but as she pressed her pod against his carriage, the duster turned into the contact, pushing her starboard pod closer to its twin. More importantly, he turned the carriage perfectly into the front of the pod, twisting the stream of energy out to starboard. He pod lurched into the side of the durasteel wall and the resulting screech of metal and shower of sparks provided an injection of fear and adrenaline that death stick junkies back home would sell their freedom for.

She got it off the wall but now as they entered the alley she was back to a second behind. The Executioner had two routes back to the start finish. But nobody took the 2nd. The primary route, called Searchlights, went wide to the left. It was dark and flooded with artificial pot lights which gave the home stretch its name. However, the alternate route lurched right on a more direct path back to the finish line and easily shaved off a half a kilometer.

"Bam!" she yelled into her comm.

"go ahead!"

"I'm taking the surface!"

"what!? No! do not take the surface route! I repeat do not take-"

Geda cut off her strategist with a wink of her left eye that cut the comm connection. As Darklighter sped off to the darkened path to the left, she stayed right. She thought she heard a collective gasp from the crowd.

The path began to slowly incline upwards and an unnatural purplish light bathed the track ahead. All of the sudden she rocketed out of the tunnel and out onto an open plain of rocky asteroid. It was the first moment in the race that Geda thought of anything other than the race, and that quick interruption was only to take in the beauty around her. The Old Republic asteroid prison they were racing in orbited the gas giant of Oovo. And now that yellow gas giant felt close enough to touch. The rest of the Oovo asteroid belt surrounded her and for a girl who had never been off Corellia, she now felt like she was uncovered through space. The atmosphere was kept in by an energy shield, but that shield did not keep out the radiation from the system's giant blue star.

A moment later the wrecklessness of her decision began to play out before her eyes. First the port side engine began to smoke. She flipped some vents and the smoke stopped.

"Ok. I'm gonna do this". No sooner did the last word leave her lips than the port side engine tether snapped. Her carriage slammed to the right, and everything else slammed to the left; her against the harness, and her organs against the left side of her body. Only the instincts and reflexes that got her here saved her from going through the energy shield and out into the void. She flipped the emergency switch that released the starboard engine and the artificial atmosphere did its job as her momentum died in the rocky gravel of Oovo IV…as did her race…and possibly her relationship with her race strategist.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Like most racers, she had given thought to her own life last. But it probably should've been first. While her pod held a portable air unit she suffered a fairly large dose of radiation poisoning while waiting for rescue under the blue tint of the system's giant blue star. Now she lay in a med bed on Ord Cestus watching that talking heads on HNN blab on about the brilliance of Zheal Taal's victory and her "rookie" mistake. Only the Gran reporter Mok Teesa was effusive in her praise for Geda's entire event, including her fateful final decision which the three-eyed alien was calling "the quintessential decision of any future champion" as her race strategist Bam Vidar walked in through the sliding door into her private room.

"I hope you're not letting that go to your head" he said, pointing at the holoscreen. "She's only saying that so you'll keep making boneheaded moves that help her species keep racking up trophies".

Geda shut off the screen with a word and turned to face the Weequay. "Look, Bam, I'm sorry I made that move".

"No you're not" he retorted with a lopsided grin.

Finally, the relief in knowing he wasn't going to quit flooded her. "You're right, I'm not."

She reached up a hand. "But I am sorry I didn't listen to you. My instinct won't be enough anymore. I need your knowledge too".

With that he reached out and slapped his hand into hers.

Two weeks later they were in Malastare for Teal's homecoming parade as the Gran claimed his second straight win. True to her word she listened to all of Vidar's directions…and finished 11th, failing to get past the second qualifier. But she had to admit afterward that without his directions she wouldn't finished at all as one of her 'instincts' would've turned her into a moving column.

A month after Malastare they were in the purplewood forests of Baroonda, where again she listened to all of Bam's directions, and this time not only made it to the final run, but finished…in 6th. All the while the talking heads became more and more complimentary of her…well except for Mok Teesa, who had undoubtedly cooled on her prospects as a champion racer. It was just a week after Baroonda that Uncle Cyrus commed with an offer from Aitha Drink that would put her on holo-boards across the Outer Rim. But Geda only saw that stuff as payback to her backers. For her only one thing mattered…and she would get another chance at the Mountain Run of Ando Prime.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Ando Prime was a post-garden world in the middle of an ice age that scientists believed would be quite pleasant…in about 20,000 years. The Ando Centrum Circuit was located through one of the larger mountain ranges on the planet's northern continent. Through the first 4 races of the season Geda had had very few interactions with any of the other racers, and those that did occur had been with the lower tiered racers and had been rather pleasant given their chosen profession. That's why it was doubly surprising when she collected her personal bag off the customs grav cart and turned around only to have it knocked from her grip by a violent shoulder bump from the current championship leader.

"Excuse me" Geda said automatically.

"Make sure this is the only place you run into me. The snow drifts here are still known to hold the corpses of more than a few arrogant humans" the Gran muttered.

Geda had always been one to do her talking on the track, but the implied death threat was too much for her and she dropped her bag purposely this time and wheeled on the triple eyed alien. A strong hand gripped her bicep and turned her around the other way and she looked up to see the disappointed eyes of her father. "Your mother taught you better than that".

The rebuke stung and her father could see it because he softened and his grip turned into a caress. "Come with me. I want to make a stop before we go to the track".

Once Geda saw the stone and quartz dome rising out of the snow flurries she knew the stop her father wanted to make. She pulled her coat tight under her chin and followed him up the short flight of stairs. As they entered he put a couple credit chits into the alms reliquary and then looked back surreptitiously to make sure she did the same.

The temple sanctuary was packed and Geda looked around for a reason why. Temples were open all day everyday for people to come and go, meditating at their leisure. Very rarely did people all come in at the same time. Unless…

Nearly every Force Temple was unique in some way. There was no organized hierarchy that regulated things like interior design. Temples were built and paid for by the Jedi Service Corps, but they always sub contracted local architects to do a design that would reflect the culture and sensibilities of the native population. Ando Prime was no different. Like the ice planet of Telos, Ando Prime held enormous ice caves that were home to kyber crystals. And a swoop bike sized crystal stood upright in the center of the sanctuary, held in place by cleverly designed arms from the floor and roof that were designed to look like the ice caves stalactites that had no doubt really held the crystal in place at one time. The crystal cast a light purple glow across the sacred room, providing a contemplative mood that was broken by a soft but authoritative voice coming from the far side of the sanctuary.

Like some of the other faiths that permeated the galaxy, Temples of the Force did not have leaders or teachers per say. Usually the most devout regular would often answer questions from other parishioners, but rarely did anyone lead a collective teaching. That it was happening today would normally be no cause for such rapt attention had the teacher been wearing something other than the brown pauper robes of the Order that had come to define the power and will of the Force. The Jedi Knight retracted his hands from either sleeve and signaled for the parishioners to quiet down.

Geda knew from history courses that this was a sight that had not been common since before the Ruusan Reformation, some 1,100 years ago. Fearing the power and sway the Jedi held over the populace, the Old Republic had begun a long slow process to bring them under their control. Over eight hundred years they had effectively neutered the Order, and made them more senatorial operatives than Force chosen embodiments of its Will. However, after the Imperial Wars the Jedi had overseen a rebirth of the Order. They had moved their headquarters back to their ancestral home on Tython, built aid outposts in every inhabited system, and spent more time in non-Order temples teaching non-Jedi about serving the Force.

With the passing of her mother, Geda had found it more therapeutic to find solace in the mechanics of a pod racer, rather than the mechanics of life and death. That said, she was not above basic reverence for the warrior monks that had been the protectors of society for more time than she was comfortable contemplating.

He appeared to be at the end of whatever lesson he was giving; "many beings believe that serving the Will of the Force is a means to an end. That end being a glorious next life in spiritual union with the Force. But let me give you another way to think about it; serving the Will of the Force is THE end, not the means. This glorious life is the reward. And serving the Will ensures it reaches its most glorious state and continues to improve for the generations blessed with the spark of life in the ages to come".

… _So live life to the fullest and do good for others…_ Geda could get behind that. Didn't mean she was going to become a Sister of Silence and start hovering around med center beds, but she could probably start incorporating that message into her life. Either way, the lift it gave her father was well worth the detour.

The first part of the Jedi's message came into clear view for Geda as they left the temple, in the form of a stadium amphitheater rising over the small city skyline. It was time for her to do what the Force brought her into this world to do.


End file.
